


November 1st

by Khoshekh42



Series: Rupert Giles can Sing [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Angst, Behind Blue Eyes, Episode: s02e06 Halloween, Ethan Rayne is a piece of garbage, Gen, Giles can Sing, Giles is Sad and someone needs to help him, holy ffucking shit anthony stewart head can sing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-18 18:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13686993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khoshekh42/pseuds/Khoshekh42
Summary: November 1st: The day after Ethan ruined HalloweenGiles is letting off some steam in the library- singing Behind Blue Eyes- in an attempt to feel better about Ethan showing back up in his life.Buffy shows and tries to comfort her friend.





	November 1st

**Author's Note:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqH01B6BQiM
> 
> This is the song that Giles sings, sung by Anthony Stewart Head himself

Buffy walked into the library, opening her mouth to ask Giles a question, until she was cut off by the soft sound of a guitar being played behind the open door of Giles’s office.

She snuck forward, hiding behind a bookshelf and peering through to see Giles hunched in his chair strumming a guitar that looked several years older than Buffy.

Buffy sat, listening, entranced.

And then Giles started to sing.

“No one knows what it’s like, to be the bad man. To be the sad man. Behind blue eyes.  
“No one knows what it’s like, to be hated. To be fated, to telling only lies.  
“But my dreams, they aren’t as empty as my conscience seems to be. I have hours, only lonely, my love is vengeance that’s never free.  
“No one knows what it’s like, to feel these feelings, like I do. And I blame you.  
“No one bites back as hard on their anger, none of my pain and woe can show through.  
“But my dreams, they aren’t as empty as my conscience seems to be. I have hours, only lonely, my love is vengeance that’s never free.”

The tone shifted as the door opened to the library again. Willow and Xander were about to call out to Buffy, but she motioned for quiet and silently called them over to see Giles. 

As the tone shifted back, Willow and Xander were just as slack-mouthed as Buffy was.

“No one knows what it’s like to be the bad man. To be the sad man. Behind blue eyes.”

On the last line, there was a sway to Giles’s voice. He played one last chord, before slumping his shoulders and putting his glasses on the desk in front of him. He rested his hands on splayed fingers, and they heard a soft sob. 

Willow and Buffy glanced at each other, without words agreeing to step forward.  
Buffy spoke first. “Giles…” 

Giles’s head shot up, eyes wide and bloodshot. Buffy got the idea that he’d been crying for long before they’d come into the library. He hastily wiped his eyes, and putting the guitar on the desk, he stood. 

“B-Buffy… I- I, um. I apologize, I didn’t mean for you to see that, I just…”

“Giles… it’s okay. You’re allowed to have feelings too, you know. Just because I’m a teenager, and you’re an adult, doesn’t mean that you have to hide any and all emotion.”

“Yes… yes thank you. I… Yesterday… Yesterday was rough on me, Buffy.” He sank back down into the chair, staring mournfully at the guitar on his desk. 

Buffy cocked her head. “Halloween? But-”

“You knew Ethan, didn’t you?” Willow cut in.

“Well, yes. He was an old… I knew him back when I was just a few years older than you two are.” Giles started to trace a design that had been carved into the body of the guitar.

“How did you know him?” Buffy asked quietly.

Giles sighed, as if giving in to the inevitability of it all. “We were…” He gave a small smile as he looked up at Buffy. “We were in a band.”

“You.”

“And a few others, yes.”

“O…kay... I’m not sure how to respond to that. So, um, you played the guitar, then?” She motioned to the one Giles had just been playing. 

“No, well, yes, but not that one.” Giles stood again, and walked into the closet. 

Just a minute later, he came out wearing a different guitar.

It was an electric guitar. 

Now Xander entered the room, shaking his head in disbelief. “You played an electric guitar?”

Giles nodded.

They stared at him.

“Please tell me it was a rock band.” Buffy grinned up at the man she thought she’d figured out.

“Well, punk-rock.”

They stared. 

“I think…” Giles started, before heading into the closet again. “I think I have the equipment in here.”

They all continued staring as Giles pulled out an amp, and began to set up the guitar. 

Finally, he plucked a string, and the sound of an electric guitar resounded loudly. 

“Giles. You have to play one of your band’s songs.”

Giles flushed lightly. “N-no I don’t believe I do.”

“Why? You already have everything set up.”

“Yes, well… I don’t believe I should. None of the songs are quite, um… School appropriate.”

Buffy slowly started to grin. “So. You- you!- were in a punk-rock band with a guy who turned people into their Halloween costumes, and you sang songs that you can’t sing in school.”

Giles was approaching full-on blushing. “Well. Yes?”

“Sing something. Something that you can play on this.” She motioned towards the set-up.

Giles sat down. “No.”

“Then why’d you put it together.”

“…I-”

“Come on Giles!” Willow encouraged him. “Something you’ve got memorized.”

“It’ll make you feel better.” Buffy offered.

“Well… There is a cover that we used to do. It’s not the most… thematically appropriate for a school building…”

“Just turn the volume down.” Xander suggested.

“Oh very well, you aren’t going to shut up about it, are you?” 

All three of them shook their heads.

Giles sighed, and took Xander’s advice to turn the amp’s volume down.


End file.
